Forest of the Nightingales
by Ranko twin
Summary: AU Yuugi ventures out to the Forest of the Nightingales before the day of his wedding to say goodbye to his dead love. (Not much else I can say about it) Read and review!


**Ranko: Hello all of you fanfictionites!**

**Yuugi: Fanfictionites?**

**Yami: …The hell? Is that even a word?**

**Ranko: If it wasn't before, now it is! Anyway, I know that some of you may be upset by this. You may be wondering, "Why don't you update on When Life Gives You Lemons?" or "Why don't you start on Checkmate?"**

**Yuugi: You see, the thing is that Ranko was selected to be a part of a prompt challenge.**

**Ranko: I'm so happy!**

**Yami: You're such a dork.**

**Yuugi: Anyway, her prompt was: "midnight."**

**Ranko: Which made me think of a really beautiful song that we are singing in my choir class. It is called, "Dindirin Dindirin." So yeah, this story will be inspired by the prompt "midnight" and based off the song "Dindirin Dindirin." I feel like I'm breaking some kind of rule…oh well!**

**Yami: Ranko twin does not own anything involving Yu-Gi-Oh nor does she take credit for the song Dindirin Dindirin. **

**Ranko: Enjoy!**

-/-

Walking alone at the midnight hour through the thick woods, was a small figure, shrouded with blue mist coming from the trees. The lone figure wore a cloak with a hood pulled over the person's face.

The sound of church bells tolling mingled with the mystical sound of birds singing their sweet song. They stopped their singing when they saw the person walking alone. They turned to stare and the person flinched. He felt the black, pearly eyes of the birds staring into his soul, reading his every desire.

It was not safe to venture out to these woods alone at the midnight hour, but this person was desperate. For you see, this was the Forest of the Nightingales. A magical place that lay between the human world and the spirit world. Rumor had it that the beautiful Nightingales would deliver a message to loved ones that had passed over to the spirit world.

That is exactly what this boy was going to do. He stepped over a tree root and pulled his hood back from his face, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him. The boy was beautiful, with smooth white skin, the color of the moon. Unnatural wide amethyst eyes that glowed like gems. And gravity-defying hair that was like silk.

The boy was shaking as he neared the clearing where the connection to the spirit world was the strongest.

He stepped into the clearing and it was alight from the glow of the full moon. The scent of flowers was in the air and trees circled the area. Resting on the branches of all the trees were Nightingales, just sitting there silently, as if they were waiting for the boy.

The small boy stepped into the spotlight of the moon that was beaming down from the sky. He was shaking, he was so nervous and the gaze from the birds was not helping. He fisted his hand around the piece of cloth even tighter and bit his bottom lip.

"My name is Yuugi Motou," the boy introduced. The birds didn't blink; Yuugi gulped. He couldn't back out now, he had to do this. "Nightingales, I request your assistance, will one of you please help me send this message to my love who has passed?"

Legend has it that when one requests help from a Nightingale, one of the birds will choose you. If no bird chooses to help you because they find your intentions impure, they will cast you away, out of their forest.

Yuugi breathed a sigh of relief when one Nightingale flew off its perch on a branch and landed on Yuugi's outstretched hand. It chirped at him, as if telling him to continue his story. Yuugi felt a little less uncomfortable now that he had been accepted by a Nightingale.

"Nightingale, my lover, Yami, has passed on to the realm beyond," Yuugi said, his eyes watering with tears. The Nightingale made no sound. "I promised him that I would marry only him. That only he would have my heart. But alas, then he died of disease. I vowed that I would never love another or marry anyone else, I would stay pure for him. But…"

The leaves on the trees rustled and Yuugi felt a bone deep chill wrack his body.

"But then," Yuugi continued, "my family sunk into debt. The only way to save our home was for me to marry a wealthy man who would only pay off all of our debts if I would agree to marry him…so I did."

The Nightingale resting on his hand chirped.

"I had no choice!" Yuugi defended for himself. "It was the only way to save my family! I am to be married tomorrow, tonight was the only time I could sneak away. I will never give this man my heart or love him like I love Yami. Please Nightingale; take this message to my lover."

The wind blew harder and the clouds covered the moon. Yuugi felt his blood run cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Yuugi gulped but continued anyway. "Tell him that, alas for me, my poor marriage bells have sounded." Yuugi unclenched his fist and revealed a patch of cloth that once belonged to Yami. The only way the Nightingale could go to Yami was if it had something that once belonged to him.

The Nightingale took the cloth in its talons and flew back to his branch. The Nightingale began to sing a sweet, haunting song; its brethren joined the one Nightingale until it was a chorus of sweet melody.

_Dindirin, dindirin, dindirin, dana, dindirin din_

The birds continued their song and as it grew louder, the wind grew stronger. The song soon melted away until Yuugi couldn't hear it anymore. He grew drowsy, his eyes beginning to slip shut.

Then he heard a voice, such a sweet, familiar voice, that immediately awoke his senses.

"My little one," a deep baritone said from behind him.

Yuugi gasped and turned around. Behind him, stood his Yami, half covered in shadows. The tears that were beginning to pool in his eyes rolled down his cheeks. "Y-Yami!" he cried and ran to his lover.

He reached out for him, to feel him, to make sure that this wasn't just a dream. Yuugi's hand passed right through him when he tried to touch Yami. "Wh-what?" Yuugi choked out, feeling more tears come to his eyes.

Yami was smiling at his little one sadly. He had watched Yuugi after he had died. The poor boy was in so much pain and agony over his departure. Then when the nobleman, Atemu, came, Yami thought that Yuugi might heal. But alas, Yuugi was devastated to hear he had to marry someone besides Yami.

However much Yuugi would deny it, Yami saw something in Yuugi when he was with Atemu, a shimmer of light that had disappeared when Yami died. It hurt to let Yuugi go, but it hurt even more to watch his love suffer.

"My love," Yami said, his ghostly hand hovering over Yuugi's cheek. Even though he was just a spirit, Yuugi could still feel his warmth. "How I have missed you so," Yami said, staring into Yuugi's eyes.

Yuugi nodded wildly. "Me too, I have missed you so much."

"But you will soon have Atemu," Yami said.

Yuugi shook his head. "No!" he cried. "No, I don't want Atemu! I want you Yami! Please, come back…" Yuugi cried, covering his face with his hands. "I am so sorry, I promised…I promised I would not marry another."

Yami felt a pang in his chest when he saw his love cry. "Yuugi, please look at me," Yami said; Yuugi peaked out from behind his hands. "I am not mad at you. I believe this is for the best."

Yuugi stared, slack jawed. "How?"

"I have watched you grieve over my death for far too long, Yuugi. It is time to let me go. Accept Atemu, love him, and be happy."

Yuugi shook his head. "How can you say that?"

"I am saying this because I love you, Yuugi, and I want you to be happy," Yami said.

Yuugi nodded. "I love you too."

"If you love me then let me go, be happy with Atemu. When I see you with him, I see a spark in your soul that disappeared when I died." Yami leaned down and brushed his nonexistent lips against Yuugi's forehead, this made fresh hot tears roll down Yuugi's face.

"I will always love you, Yuugi," Yami said, as his spirit began to fade away.

"Me too, I will always love you," Yuugi choked out past his tears. He held onto Yami's spirit hand until the moon finally peaked out from behind the clouds, and Yami disappeared fully.

_Dindirin din_

-/-

**Ranko: That was sad, why did I write that. **

**Yami: I have no idea.**

**Yuugi: I don't know whether to love it or hate it. **

**Ranko: Love it? Hate it? I don't know! Tell me what you thought about it in your review!**


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